Yoga for Every Body

Therapeutic Yoga Training Bliss

8/17/2013

Here is the graduating class of the Therapeutic Yoga Training Program of August 2013 in San Francisco (I am kneeling second from left). Can you tell that we feel the afterglow?

Therapeutic Yoga is 40 hours of learning anatomy, setting up and using yoga props, refining listening skills, refining observational skills, learning restorative yoga, gentle yoga, guided meditation and more! Class started Friday the 9th and finished up Wednesday the 14th. Our teachers Cheri Clampett and Arturo Peal educated us, molded us, cared and cherished us and got us all to being competent in Therapeutic Yoga. We learned so much from Cheri and Arturo, and from each other. As you can see, we had a wide range of ages. We also had a wide range of experiences including yoga teachers, physical therapists, doctors and nurses.

Now I am more competent in the healing aspects of yoga and how best to care for the student in front of me. If you are more interested in finding out about therapeutic yoga, here is the website http://www.therapeuticyoga.com/

I love it!!

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Grandmothers

8/2/2013

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A grandmother is a special person. Think of the word, grand mother. Someone with authority over you but a relaxed sort of authority. Someone who is not the primary source of everyday rules and is often the source of fun and a feeling of specialness not quite the same as parents. Grandma would have time to show you things like how to make apricot-pineapple jam, where the baby birds hide in the honeysuckle vine, how to pull taffy, and shared great stories, oh the stories! Stories about times gone by, about her childhood and best of all, stories about parents when they were young! It was always fun to hear about my mom as she was growing up and that she may have had the same difficulties that I was having at that time. It was always fun to hear about foolish antics of the so well-behaved uncles and aunts!

I was always proud of my grandma, she was so athletic and active. If you have seen On Golden Pond, think of the character portrayed by Katherine Hepburn. Grandma learned to play golf in her late 50's to early 60's, by her mid to late 60's she was winning golf tourneys in her age bracket. The summer after Mt. St. Helens erupted, she drove up solo from California to Washington state and was miffed that the roads to Mt. St. Helens were blocked and that she could not get closer. She taught me how to pan for gold, to always wear a hat outdoors, how to sing a variety of very silly songs. She valued her independence and her relationships with friends and family. She could always surprise me, like the time one of my aunts produced a ukulele and Grandma tuned it, played it and sang "My Gal Sal"! In her mid-80's she was showing me some pictures of a parade with a car all dolled up driven by a good looking young man, dating back to the 1930's. On the back of the picture she had noted that the fellow was "the cutest boy in the world". I think Grandma was a flapper back in the day!

When Grandpa died, it was hard, very hard for Grandma. She missed him so much. But she went on living and went back to enjoying life and all it had to offer, including dating and remarriage. She showed that even when things were so bad, life had some more adventures, surprises, romance and love in store for her. Grandma has been gone from this earth 11 years, but lives on in the hearts of those who she loved and those who love her.

Happy birthday Grandma!

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Lessons from Opal

7/19/2013

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This post is both difficult and joyous to write. Difficult because I miss my little cat Opal, joyous because she taught me a wonderful lesson about life.

This picture does not do Opal justice as it does not show her lively character and affectionate nature. She was friendly to people and cats alike. She was born 16 years ago in April with a very loud heart murmur, but it was impossible to hear over the constant purring! She was affectionate at the vets office, even when they took her temperature! She would let you know with a loud meow if you needed to pay attention to her, or if she felt that it was time for bed!. She could pick up on our emotions, and would react accordingly by snuggling up when we were sad, and bouncing around when we were happy. Opal spent a lot of lap time with a friend visiting over New Year's Eve. We were surprised as she had been friendly with him before, but over New Year's Eve she was on his lap constantly. We all feel that Opal sensed he was going through a very difficult time (he was) and needed extra kitty affection (he did).

Mid-January, she started hiding in the closet and did not want to eat. The vet found she had a tumor in her abdomen the size of a small orange. The tumor responded to oral pill treatment and within a couple of weeks Opal was back playing and eating and not hiding.

Opal lived in the present. She did not know that she had limited time, Opal only knew that today she liked having food (especially bananas and tomatoes), today she relished being petted, today she loved being brushed. Those days when she did not want food she still enjoyed being petted and brushed and was always ready to purr.

As a human, I knew that Opal had limited time and that she was going to die. I knew she would pick up on my grief and sadness and I realized that grieving her death while she was alive would taint the many good moments she had left in this world. I made a conscious decision to always approach her with happiness. By embracing that today she is purring, today her fur is soft, today she is affectionate and enjoying being brushed, was the best way to honor her and to treasure these good experiences. Opal enjoyed the time she had with us and we enjoyed the time we had with her. She was purring up until the day she died in mid-May.

I grieve Opal's death and I rejoice in her life. She was a great kitty and we miss her. Opal taught me to keep present in the here and now, to enjoy the sunshine and the touch of a loved one.

Thanks Opal!

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Welcome!

7/12/2013

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Today I launch my website for Yoga for Every Body. This has been a long time coming, but here it is today! My hope is to reach out to you who want to explore yoga and have not found a venue that serves you. The logo is Bendiness is not required to have a fulfilling yoga practice. Yoga can benefit you no matter what your issues may be. I see myself as your guide to finding your path to yoga.

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Therapeutic Yoga Training Bliss

Grandmothers

Lessons from Opal

Welcome!

Ellen Fostersmith

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